Knitting machine



P. P. LA MONTAGNE.-

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 22. IsIa. IIENEwED IuIIE 23. 1922.

1,435,716. PaIenIedN0v.14,1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEE1 1- AHI/5.

P. P. LA MONTAGNE.

KNITTING MACHINE. APPILICATION FILED NOV-22.1918. RENEWED LUNE 23, 1922.

1,435,7 1 6. Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHE] 2.

Fig. 4.

P. P. LA MONTAGNE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 22, 191s. RENEwEn IuNE 23.1922.

1,435,7' 1 6, Patented Nov. 1,4, 1922.

4 SHEETS-sneu a.

3 l 39 W ZIB f/ eI I I5- i Inverlhzm P.- P. LA MoNAGNE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22.1918. RENEWED JUNE 23, |922.

l ,435,7 1 6 Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

44 lnve n+or. @im In. W

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK P. LA MONTAGNE, OF BOURBONNAIS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE kASSIGNMENTS, TO POPE MACHINE COMPANY, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, A

CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Application led November 22, 1918, Serial No. 263,727.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, PATRICK l?. LA MoN- TAGNE, a citizen of the United States, residing Bourbonnais, countyoic Kankakee, Stat-c of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Knitting- Machines,iot` which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a. specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates toany type of knitting machine `wherein it is necessary to throw some oft the needles out of action during the knitting operationy and more particularly to the circular type of knitting machine wherein during predetermined periods reciprocating knitting is performed as, for instance, in the knittingof the heel and toe during the knittingl of stockings.

The invention in some respects involves the type of mechanism made the subject of my application Serial. No. 205,97 9, tiled December Y, 1.917.

The invention has fior its object to provide a knitting machine in which each needle is provided with a separate jack mounted in the same groove with the needle and inwardly from the needle, each needle and jack being provided with co-operating shoulders.

The invention has for its further object the provision otmeans such as a second or additional proj ecting cam whereby the jacks are restored to the same position at the end of the projecting movement of the needle notwithstanding any adjustment which may be made to provide 'for varying the movement of the needle as in lengthening and shortening the stitch.

lVhile the invention is of value in conneet-ion vwith machines utilizing varying types of needles it is particularly valuable in the case of, and the invention particularly relates to those types of, knitting machines wherein the so-called separate latch needles are employed. that is. needles in which the hook member and the co-operating latch member are physically separat-e and independent parts.

The invention lhas :for its further object the provision of a needle projecting cam acting directly upon the needle and mounted Renewed June 23, 1922. Serial No. 570,381.

upon the cylinder in such a manner as to move vertically with the cylinder and rotarily with respect to the cylinder.

These and other objects of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings which show a well known and ordinary type of circular knitting machine with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 1 is a view chiefly in central vertical cross-section olf-a portion of the knitting machine;

Fig. 2 is a detail in transverse cross-section showing the connection between the needle projecting cam ringv and the needle retracting` cam ring;

Fig. 3 is a. top plan view partially in horizontal section and partially broken away and eliminatingl features unnecessary to a disclosure oi the invention of the construction shown in Fig. l.;

Fig. vfl is a side elevation oiA the ack;

-5 is an end elevation of the ack;

l? 6 is transverse cross-section enlarged ot the jack taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig'. 7 is a detail chieiiy in vertical crossscction taken on the line 7--7 of Fig. 3 of a portion oit' the cylinder oi the machine and adjacent parts showing; one oi the picking instrumentalities for elevating the separate jack to throw the needles'out oi' action;

8 a diagrammatic view showing the neral relation or the needle, separate i picker, and camswhen the jack is raise-:l into position to throw the needle out of action; y

Fig; 9 view similar to Fig. 8 showing the needleI separate jack, dropper, and cams when the depressed to bring the parts into knitinp; position.

in view ot the nature of the invention it will he unnecessary either to illustrate or describe in detail the general features and construction oilz a knitting machine or of the knitting machine of the particular type herein illustrated further than those particularly concerned with `the operation oi the needle.

For convenience in disclosing theinvention the movement of the needle to yarn re-y ceiving position vwill be referred to as the projecting movementv or inoyement to projected position; movement et the needle in the opposite directioi'i will -be referred to as the retrait-,ting min/'ementM or the movementto retracted position; direction toward the needle bed will be referred to as inner and direction away Ytrom the needle bed as outeimg direction toward the hook end olr the hook memberL or the point of the latch member as forward and the opposite direction as rearward; direction lengthwise of the hoolr and latch members will be referred to as longitudinal, direc tion through the members from Atace toV :tace as lateral7 and direction in or parallel With the general plane of the members as ctraneverse; but it will be understood that these and similar terms are relative only andare not to be. taken as otherwise limiting; the in- VQILOD ln the particular form ol: knitting machine herein illustrated for the purpose ot disrlos ing the invention the` machine embodies a. suitable circular bed plate l() on which is centrally7 mounted a cylinder carrier 1l supported by a rod12. @n the cylinder carrier 11 is mounted the usual needle cylinder 13. Surroundingthe needle cylinder and concentric therewith and supported by the bed plate is the usual slzeleton cylinder lll the spaces between ythe bars 15 el" Which radially valine withl the needle grooves 16 in the er;- terior Wall of the cylinder.

The knittingmachine lneedles illustrated are oil the type disclosed in my apjilications o ialllo 251,800, filed August Sill. 1918 and lf.. inl No. 369,878 .tiled llllnrch W20. ylhis type ot needle comprises the two separate and independent me1nber 's the book ini-nnbi-ir 17 and the latch member ln this general type et needle one ol1 vhe members is actuated from the other which in turn is actuated by the cams oit the knitting; machine. and, in. the 'liorm shown. tbelatch member receives its actuation .t'romthe hoch member. The hoo-lr member in lthe 1": rm illustrated is provided with a shoulder or butt 19 to fio-operate with the needle proj ecting' cam of the marl while tie shank Q0 et the 'boelr member is provided. with a shoulder Q1 which in this case cil-operates with a separate jacll Q52 which in turn is 'if'- tuated by the needle retracting cam el the machine.

`The hoolr men'iber et the needle forward et the shank or at the `forma-rd end ol the shank is enlarged transversely to torm a, body portion provided WithV an opening` extending); laterally therethrough, The end. Walls 24C and 25 constitute shoulders which contacting With the latch member insurethe proper relative movement oit the needle members. The hook member 17'is slotted operate in the portion 28 extending' transversely trom the j main body ol the shank. rllhis portion or butt section 28 ot the latch is located Within the opening oat 'the hook member andl is termed trictionally to engage the sidewalls of the needle slot and elliect 4the requiredvfrl-ilarding` action with respect to the movement o'l thehooh member and also presents at its rearward and forward ends suitable shoulders (3o-operating respectively With vthev shouldersil and 525 octv the hook member.

The needle movements are secured by the aid of a separate jack and on thelbroad principles ot operation made the subject ot my application Serial No. 205979 tiled. December 7? 1917. ln this invention, however. the separate ack embodies novel features ot construction and position and the movements out the needle and jack are secured ina novel manner,

The use of the separate jack enables the needle to be thrown outfot action and returned to knitting; position when required With the minimum amoijint of movement, with the minimum amount ot friction, Without danger ot binding: or bren-kane. `and withoutrendering it necessary to project the needle beyond its normal yarn receiving position. rllhe separate jacl E .rran@ed to needle slot an dinnerd ci? the needle. l p

The separate jack itself 1n the preferred lorm illustrated andY as shown morein detail in Figs. 4l. 5 and 6 is preferably formed, as are the partso'fthe needle itself.' ont sheet metal by a stamping or cutting` operation so as to term and space the shoulders thereof with estreme accuracy. This jack comprises a shank having; at it?` forward end an outward projection 29 presentingI a shoulder Si) to co-operate with the shoulder of the hoolr member of the needle. Near its rear end the jack is provided With the outvlfardly projecting.;` butt '3l Wl' ch passes between the bars 15 ot the skeleton cylinder, when. used.` andfivhich is acted upon by the cams. ln the ear ot the butt 31 the separate ack may be prorided with dirern'ently bent fingers 32 and 3B to pass behind adjacent barsmojl' the skeleton cyliniler and thus prevent any danger ot the jack coming out from the needle slot. ln4 addition the shank 'ot the jack is bent slightly as shown vin Fig. 5 so that it will have friction with the sidewalls ofthe needle slot. v y

The yarn 34 may be fed to the needles in any suitable manner as through a guide eye 35 which exten-ds beneath the hook of' the hook member and is supported from a suitable revolving carrier 36.

The needles draw the yarn down over a suitable work engaging portion ot the cylinder which is herein shown as the upper surface of the sinkers 37. These sinkers are of a, familiar type and are mounted to slide radially in grooves in an annular sinker cylinder 38 and an annular sinker guide 39 both rigidly secured to the upper end of the cylinder 13 in the usual manner.

The usual retracting cam 40 is carried by the cam ring 41 mounted in the bed plate 10 to rotate concentrically with the cylinder in the usual manner and is driven by the gear ring 42 from the gear 43 in the usual manner. This retracting cam 40 acts upon the jack butts 31 and has associated with it a jack projecting cam 44 formed in the cam ring 41 and also acting upon the jack butts 31. The projecting movement of the needle is given y a separate projecting cam 45 formed in a projecting cam ring 46 rotarily supported in the sinker guide 39. This cam ring 46 is flanged at 47 and held in place by a ange ring 48 screwed to the bottom surface of the sinker guide 39.

Rotation of the projecting cam ring 46 is secured bv vconnecting it to the usual cam ring 41. his connection may be made by a post 49 secured at 50 to the cam ring 41 and projecting upwardly therefrom into an opening 51 formed in a lug 52 proj ecting laterally from the projecting cam ring 46. Set screws 53 in the lug 52 contact with the post 49 and enable an accurate relative adjustment to be made between the two cam rings.

This projecting cam 45 acts upon the shoulder or butt 19 formed upon the hook member of the needle and is the cam which gives the'projecting movement to the needle.

The retracting movement of the needle is given through the agency of the separate jack and is effected by the retracting cam 40 acting upon the j ack butt 31. The jack projecting cam 44 is Jfor the purpose of insuring the jack butts being left in proper position to co-operate with the mechanism for throwing the needles out of and into action such as the usual cam and picker mechanism. This jack projecting cam for this purpose is especially desirable when. as in the machine illustrated, the stitch is lengthened and shortened by raising and lowering the cylinder and needle projecting cam with respect to the needle retracting cam. The jack projecting cam being formed in the vertically stationary cam ring does not partake of the vertical movement of the needle projecting cam and consequently, no matter what may be the position of the needle projecting cam, the jack butts when they ride over the portion 54 of' the jack projecting cam are lett in proper position to cov-operate with the cam and picker mechanism, This jack projecting cam 44 is relieved or cut back throughout its periphery between the portions 54 so that when the cylinder raised or lowered to lengthen or shorten the stitch only 'the ew jacks over the portions 54 are moved in their slots7 thus reducing the torce required to raise and lower the cylinder.

The normal knitting operation ot the machine will be readily apparent. The needles are given their projecting movements to carry them to yarn receiving position by the action of the projecting cam 45 on the shoulder -19 of each needle and the retracting movements of the needles are effected by the retracting cam 40 acting upon the upper sur- `lace of the butts 31 ol the jacks. Each needle and its ack thus moves together ei;- cept for such slight relative movement as may be due to the separation at the shoulder 21 when the needle is in projected position with the cylinder adjusted below its highest position.

lVhen the machine changes from circular work to reciprocating work and back again it is necessary to employ a mechanism for throwing certain of the needles out ot' act-ion and then restoring them into action. Any suitable or well known type of mechanism may be employed in connection with the separate jack needle herein disclosed making Aonly such slight changes of adjustment and position as may be necessary7 to adapt it. For this purpose a well known. type ot niecbanism. Vfamiliar to those skilled in the art and in its main. features already illustrated in my vaforesaid application Serial No. 205.979, filed December 7 1917, is herein .illustrated and it will therefore be unnecessary to describe the details of thc construction and operation of such a mechanism.

lVhen reciprocating knitting begins it is common to throw a portion or an entire set of the needles out oil action. These needles Aare usually selected by being provided with butts of greater radial length than the butts of those needles that are to continue in action and the same principle is here employed in that the butts of the jacks for these needles are made respectively of greater length than the other needles. This set ot needles may be thrown out of action by a suitable wedge-shaped cam 55 mounted upon a shaft [i6 rotatably and longitudinally movable in a bearing 57 radially supported from the gear ring 42. This cam 55 during the ordinary circular knitting operation stands in elevated position and travels in a path above the jack butts 31 and thus clears all the butts. When one set. ot needles is to be thrown out of action the shaft 56 is rotated and .at the same time moved longitudinally outwardly to bring the point of the caminto its depressed position below the path of the butts ot the separate jacks ot these needles which butts are longer-than those of the other acks. llhis mo vement o'i' the cam 55 may be etl'ected manually or automatically; in the latter case by some means such as 'the automatic positioning of the cam 58 in the path of the crank arm 59 eX- tending `from thel shaft 56. When the gear ring is rotated with the cam 55 thus depressed the upper surface ot the cam rides beneath the longer butts o-i the jacks and projects these jacks to a position where the butts are caught by and ride along over the surface 60k of the cam section 'forming the retracting cam 41:0 and the needles correspending to these jacks are thus projected no further than they are in the normal knitting operation and as their jacks are out of reach of the retracting cam 4:0 these jacks and consequently these needles remain out of action.

When this section. of the, needles is to be restored into knitting position the cam 55 is swung upwardly and moved inwardly to bring its lower surface above the butts et' all the jacks so that as the gear ring is rotated all the jacks are retracted or restoredto a position where their butts are within the path of the retracting cam 40. This operation may be .performed either. manually or by the usu-al type of automatic mechanisin.

In the formation oit reciprocatingwork such as the knitting oit the heel and toe sections ot a stocking after one section oli needles has been thrown out oit action it is necessary gradually to reduce the number of needlesremaining in action and then gradually to restore those needles to knit ting action. ,ln this invention a usual type of picker andv dropper mechanism is illustr-ated for this purpose which instead of acting upon the butts ot the needles is so adjusted and arranged as to act upon the butts otthe separate jack members and respectively picks and depresses the jack butts out of and into the path of the retracting cam 40.

ln the construction illustrated the picker and the dropper mechanism are shown as separate instrumentalities. When the reciprocating knitting is taking place the gear ring 42 is given an oscillating or reciprocating motion. Upon this gear ring at one eide are mounted the pickers 61 and at an opposite point the dropper 62 and all are constructed and operated in a manner well known to those skilled in the art except that the effective ends of the picker and dropper are adjusted to co-operate with the butt of the jack and act to shift the jack butt.

The pickers 61 act in a familiar manner pivoting vertically in the horizontally pivthrowing these needles out of action. Thus the knitting is gradually narrowed.

rlhe widening operation takes place in a similarly familiar manner through the action of the dropper 62'y which is shown as a symmetrically shaped device horizontally and vertically pivoted in a bearing 65 onthe gear ring 42. It is periferably called. into operation by automatic mechanism such as the sliding cam plate 6G automatically actuated by the crank arm 67 in the mechanism of the machine. At the required time this dropper is guided to a position in line with the butts of successively elevated or projected jacks so that at the endof each reciprocation the jack butts at the end of the row of needles thrown out of action are caught by the dropper and retracted.I In

the widening operation the dropper is genorally arranged to depress a greater number ot jacks than the pickers elevate allowing the pickers to remain in operation7 each elevating` say one jack at the end of each reciprocation and the hopper depressing two jacks at each end of each reciprocation so that as a net result one jack is brought hack into operative. position at each end, of each reciprocation. But the particular construction andcoperation oit the picker mechanism and the dropper mechanism isnot involved in this invention and this general explanation will be sufficient to those skilled in the art.

1t is important that the hook member and the latch member shall alwaysy retain when in yarn-receiving position a fixed relation to the work `engaging portion or top of the cylinder, in the form shown,wthe top ot the sinkers. This requirement is particularly true of the separate latch needle and of the latch member thereof. lt is frequently desirable to vary the length ott the loop by varying the `extent to which the needle is retracted, the yarn being drawn out by the cylinder needle over the dial needles when the dial is employed or over the top of the cylinder when the 'dial jecting cam in the present construction is the cam l5 which acts upon the shoulder or butt 19 of the hook member of the needle and the movement oiC this cam with the cylinder is secured by the construction already described in which this cam is rotarily mounted upon the annular sinker guide which in turn is mounted upon the cylinder, the alinement of the retracting and projecting cams being secured by the post construction already described.

While but one set o operating cams 45, and 44 have been illustrated and described it will of course be understood that as many such operating cams shall be employed asthere are yarn feeds.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: j

l. A knitting machine comprising a needle bed, a needle longitudinally reciprocable in the needle bed, a jack reciprocable with and with respect to said needle, a retracting cam acting upon the jack to retract the jack and therethrough the needle, a projecting cam acting directly on the needle, means for longitudinally adjusting the needle bed and projecting cam with respect to the retracting cam to vary the length ot stitch, and means for projecting` the jack independently of the needle. i

2. A knitting machine comprising a needle bed, a needle longitudinally reciprocable in the needle bed, a jack reciprocable with and with respect to said needle, a retracting cam acting upon the jack to retract the jack and therethrough the needle, a projecting cam acting directly on the needle, means for longitudinally adjusting the needle bed and projecting cam with respect to the retracting cam to vary the length of stitch, and a jack projecting cam for projecting the jack independently of the needle., i

3. A knitting vmachine comprising the construction defined in claim l in which the jack is mounted rearwardly of the needle and in which oppositely disposed shoulders on the needle and jack effect the movement of the needle and the jack one from the other.

4. A knitting machine comprising the construction deiined in claim l in which the jack is located in the rear of the needle, in which the needle is formed at its rearward end with a shoulder and the jack at its forward end with7 a shoulder, the said shoulders cooperating to effect conjoint movement of the needle and jack.

5. A circular knittingA machine comprising a bed plate, a needle cylinder vertically adjustable therein, a needle longitudinallyreciprocable in said cylinder, a jack longitudinally reciprocable with and with respect to said needle, a projecting cam acting directly on the needle and vertically adjustable with the cylinder, a retracting cam held against vertical movement in the bed plate and acting upon the jack to retract the jack and therethrough the needle, and a jack projecting cam held against vertical movement in the bed plate and acting to project the jack independently of the needle.

6. A circular knitting machine comprising a bedplate, a needle cylinder vertically adjustable therein, a needle longitudinally reciprocable in said cylinder, a jack longitudinally reciprocable with and with respect to said needle, a projecting cam acting directly on the needle and vertically adjustable with the cylinder,-a retracting cam held against vertical movement in the bed plate and acting upon the jack to retract the jack and therethrough the needle, a jack. projecting cam held against vertical movement in the bedplate and acting to project the jack independently of the needle, and means for coupling the said cams together to maintain their horizontal position and permit change in their relative vertical position.

7. A circular knitting machine comprising a bed plate, a needle cylinder vertically adjustable therein, a needle longitudinally reciprocable in said cylinder, a jack longitudinally reciprocable with and with respect to said needle, a projecting cam acting directly on the needle and vertically adjustable with the cylinder, a retracting cam held against vertical movement in the bed plate and acting upon the jack to retract the jack and therethrough the needle, a jack projecting cam held against vertical movement in the bed plate and acting to project the jack independently of the needle, and means tor coupling the said projecting cams together to maintain their horizontal posisition and permit change in their relative vertical position. y f

8. A knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder, an annular sinker guide secured to the top of the cylinder exteriorly thereof and an annular needle operating cam ring rotarily mounted in said sinker guide exteriorly of said cylinder whereby vertical movement of the cam ring with respect to said` cylinder is prevented and rotary movement with respect to said cylinder permitted.

9. A knitting machine comprising a bed plate, a needle cylinder vertically adjustable in the bed plate, a cam ring rotarily mounted in the bed plate eXteriorly of the cylinder and provided with a retracting cam, a projecting cam ring provided with a projecting cam mounted exteriorly of said cylinder above said retracting cam, and means for preventing vertical movement and permit ting rotary movement of said projecting cam ring with respect to said cylinder.

10. A knitting macnine comprising a bed plate, a lneedle cylinder vertically adjustablel in the bed plate, a cam ring rotarily mountadjustable therein, a needle longitudinally recipi'ocable in the cylindei` comprising` a hook memhei;l and a latch member sldahle thereon foi: independent movement and also movable therewith, a needle positioning device longitudinally reciprocahle with and with respect to the needle, means acting directly on the needle and vertically adjustable With the cylinder, means held against vertical movement in the support and acting` upon the device te reti-act it and, therethrough, tl e needle, and means held against vertical movement in the support and acting' to project the device independently of 'the needle.

ln testimony Wheree I have signed my name to this specification.

PATRICK P. LA MONTAGNE. 

